


Stuck at the Crossroads

by spideymerc



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, PTSD, References to Depression, Sad Rick, angry rick, but not yet, it takes a while, kidnap, mentions of abuse, please, rick is just hurting, someone give him a hug, there will be more tags to be added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-04-20 03:02:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14251665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideymerc/pseuds/spideymerc
Summary: “I just want him home.”“Rick...”“I can't do this without him, I want him home and believe me when I say I'm bringing him home... please.”





	1. ONE

“Psst... psst, Glenn.” Rick whispered as the young male came into his view,  
“What is it?”  
“You seen Daryl?”  
“I thought he was with you...” Rick pinched the bridge of his nose,  
“No, he didn't stay with me, went in yer direction so I dint think much of it.” Rick was resisting the urge to shout. They had to be quiet while they were scouting around some old supermarket they came across, they didn't want to bring themselves any unwanted attention.  
“Maybe he's just down some other isle,” Glenn said,  
“Yeah, but I thought by now that he'd know not to run off by himself.”  
“Do you think we should split up to look for him and then get the hell outta here?” Rick nodded,  
“That sou...” he was cut off by a shout of some form, the sounds of cans falling and bottles breaking,  
“Was that...”  
“Daryl?” rick shouted cutting Glenn off, “Daryl was that you?” fuck the whole being quiet thing. If any walkers were around, they were going to hear the commotion anyway. Rick took off into the direction of the struggle, well what he thought was a struggle, to go find Daryl.  
He was approaching the isle where tins laid on the ground and bottles laid broken, their substances spread on the floor for all to see. “Daryl?” he asked cautiously, his gun out at the ready,  
“Rick...”  
“Shut it you.” Rick froze as an unfamiliar voice spoke before cautiously rounding the corner to see Daryl in the arms of some other man. Rick's blood began to boil,  
“Let go of 'im.” Rick ordered, he didn't care that the man looked like he could do some serious damage, he was touching his Daryl and that wasn't right, “I'm gonna say it again, let. Him. go.”  
“Not a chance, yer see pretty boy over here would make a fine adaption to our group,”  
“Tough, he's with me.” Rick said, not removing his eyes from the man, making a mental note of his face so if the man escaped, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him, “Let him go.”  
“And what happens if it don't?” Rick lifted his python and pointed it at the man, he took the safety off.  
The man just laughed and raised his own gun to Daryl's head,  
“Now, we both know you ain't gonna risk shooting me. You even attempt and I wont hesitate in hurting pretty boy here.”  
“Rick, don't waste...” the man rose his gun and hit Daryl's head with the butt of it.  
“I thought I told you to shut up?”  
“Don't do that to him.” Rick was trying his best not to sound like he's begging,  
“Or what? We've already come to conclusion you ain't gonna hurt me while I have 'im.” the man laughed darkly as he moved Daryl's hair with his gun, Rick watched as blood started to roll from his head where the gun came in contact and he felt his heart clench,  
“Rick jus'...”  
“Rick! Rick! We have a situation!” he heard Glenn call,  
“i got my own right now.”  
“The doors have been breached, they're coming in.” Glenn ran around the corner where the others were, “They're coming in groups and what the hell is going on here?” he stared at the man holding Daryl and then looked at rick pointing the gun, “Fuck, guys the dead are coming in and we don't have time for a hostage situation.”  
“Give us back Daryl and we can leave.” Rick said, still making eye contact with the man,  
“No, I've already said this. He is ours.”  
“He isn't property, he doesn't belong to anyone. But he is part of our group, of our family.”  
“Rick...” Daryl whispered, “Just get outta here.”  
“I'm not going without you.” Rick felt himself panic as the sound of the walkers came closer towards them,  
“Rick, we gotta move.” Glenn urged, “Listen dude, just let Daryl go and we can all leave alive.”  
“No can do,” The guy removed his gun from Daryl's head and aimed it at Glenn, “And if anyone is getting out alive its me,” he pulled the trigger and hit Glenn's leg. Rick turned to help him, everything was happening so fast and he didn't know where he was going or what he was doing,  
“Glenn,” he bent down to him, “Shit.” he pulled at a hole in his shirt until it ripped, he used the material as a makeshift bandage to apply pressure and to help stem the bleeding. He helped him up and they both turned to the guy and Daryl, “That was a stupid...” rick stopped speaking when he realised that Daryl was gone, they both were, “Daryl?”  
“Rick, we gotta move,” Glenn said, “There's only one exit we might catch them.” Rick nodded and helped Glenn to walk, they were slower than normal and they could hear the walkers closing up on them,  
“Come on, almost there.” rick muttered, using his spare arm to take down walkers that got too close for comfort.  
They exit through the front door and cursed at how many walkers were now outside in the once empty parking lot, rick headed for their car wanting to get Glenn to safety as soon as possible.  
By the time he managed to get Glenn in he heard another car engine start and he turned to see a bound and unconscious Daryl in the back of a truck, his head was resting against the window and rick could see the blood smeared on the glass from his head wound. The guy who had taken him was sat in the front seat, he began to drive and narrowly missed both rick and the car as he drove off.  
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” there wasn't even a license plate on the car so he couldn't even remember it to keep an eye out for it. The walkers began to close in on them and he quickly got into the front seat and shut the door, “This can't be happening...” rick gripped the steering wheel tightly, “This can't be happening.”  
“Rick, just go after him.” he turned to look at Glenn on the back seat, a sweat forming on his brow and his laboured breathing was a big enough give away that he wouldn't be well enough for a car chase,  
“No, I'm taking you back first.”  
“But Daryl,” Glenn said, “We gotta....”  
“Get you home.” he said, trying to keep his voice even when all he wants to do is shout, “We gotta get you back to the prison, I'm not losing two of ya.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh my god, what's happened?” Carol asked as Rick helped a barely conscious Glenn get out of the car.  
“Ran into some trouble, he ended up getting shot. I think he's gone into shock, we need Hershel”  
“I'll go tell him to get prepared, you get him inside.” Rick nodded at Carol, watching as she turned his back on them to get inside. Carl made his way towards his dad and helped support Glenn on the other side to make the journey quicker. Neither of them spoke.

Maggie was a panicked mess when they got Glenn inside, she seemed relieved to see he wasn't dead but never said anything either, she just held his hand when Rick helped him lie down on his cot, she thanked Rick and Carl. They nodded and then they left, Carol knew what happened and he didn't think it would be too long before Glenn would be able to tell everyone what had actually happened during the run.

They left the cell and Rick made his way up to the roof, he wanted to take post for a while. He relieved Tyreese from his position and stood near the edge. Carl wasn't far behind him.

They were both silent for a while.

“Dad?”  
“Yeah?”

“Where has Daryl gone?” Rick gripped the edge tighter, “Is he dead?”  
“I don't know.”  
“What happened?”  
“Shopping mall, he strayed like the idiot he is,” Rick smiled affectionately for a second, “Heard some commotion, time I got there Daryl was in a head lock with a gun to his head. Tried getting him back, got Glenn shot instead that's my fault, place got swarmed and Daryl..” Rick closed his eyes, “Daryl was gone with the other guy before I could even help Glenn up, the time we both got out the truck was gone.”

“Do you know where abouts they went?” Rick shook his head.  
“I'm clueless Carl... I know nothing and I've lost him, maybe for good.”  
“We can find him, we can do it dad.”  
“How do you expect to do that? We're not on some tiny island, Georgia is a pretty damn big place and it just keeps on getting bigger. Who knows where that guy came from or how many people he has in his group, who know what what they're doing to him, who knows if they even made it far or if they...” Rick shut his eyes and shook his head so he didn't have to think about the possibility that Daryl could have died, “Who knows where to even start looking for him.”  
“He wouldn't give up so easily if it was you, you saw how he got when Sophia was missing. He was searching non-stop for her... if you were missing there would be no way for any of us to stopping him getting out of this gate to go look for you and bring you home... why aren't you fighting for him?”  
“I just...”  
“Nobody ever fights for him dad, nobody. Its amazing he's gotten this far with you. We have to find him, I cant lose both my dads.” Rick's breath hitched when carl mentioned Daryl being his father,  
“Do you mean that?”  
“Of course, if Daryl never comes home you'll be lost all over again and...”  
“No, I understood that.... I meant about calling Daryl your father.”  
“Yes, I meant it. You two have been together since this whole damn world went to shit, I think I'm allowed to call him my dad. I love him, he loves us and he has to be brought home... we have to... to... to...” Rick turned around when he heard Carl's voice break and his breathing become ragged, he saw the state the teenager was in and opened his arms. Carl moved into them, hugging his dad closely and it didn't take long before they were both sinking to the floor and sobbing.   
“We're going to get him back, mark my words, he is coming home to us... I cant do this without him... I cant...”

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Rick didn't sleep much the night before, he couldn't even when he tried. Although the cot is small it felt too large without Daryl's body in his arms, being held close. It felt too quiet, there were no hushed whispers or quiet laughter when neither could sleep. There wasn't any light snores from Daryl when he was sleeping soundly or any whimpers or strangled screams when he was having nightmares.

He didn't turn up for breakfast, his body was aching from lack of sleep and his eyes were sore but he went straight onto watch so he could start coming up with a plan to get Daryl back. He laid the map out in front of him and circled the supermarket they were at when it happened, he then circled the prison, it was a good five miles away. He stared at the map, there was only one road in the opposite direction of their way home which means the guy could have only taken Daryl down that road.

On the journey down, Daryl said the woods would be too dense to drive down, the road was the only option to travel. Rick blinked and diverted his attention back to the map and away from his memories from the journey down and the way Daryl's hand felt in his and the way Glenn would annoyingly sing 'Rick and Daryl sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.' He'd give anything to just go back to that moment and take back the suggestion of going inside the store.

Back to the map, Rick used the pen to mark up the road until he got to some cross roads. It was now split, he could have gone either way. He was stuck.

“Dad?” Rick turned his head to see carl standing behind him holding a bowl, “I brought up some breakfast for you.”  
“Thank you,”  
“You look exhausted,” Rick turned his whole body and sat down, he ran a hand over his face.  
“I didn't sleep very well last night.” Carl came over and sat down beside him, he handed Rick the bowl and looked behind him.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Figuring out what to do.”  
“How long have you been here?”  
“I don't know, it was light when I got up here, I needed it to see the map, couldn't do that in the cell.”

“Have you not slept at all?”  
“I couldn't... not without him,” Rick used the spoon to push the oatmeal around, “It's not the same, I can't stop thinking about how I let this happen to him,”  
“You didn't let anything happen to him, this isn't your fault.”  
“I should have carried on driving when I saw the store, I shouldn't have suggested we go in. it was late, we should have been home with you all,” Rick said, “I should never have let him out of my sight... I should have followed them but I couldn't because I got Glenn hurt.”  
“You didn't do anything, this isn't on you dad. By going to that store we can know eat for a little while longer, we have a few extra shirts and sleeping bags to go around, Judith has some more formula and a couple of extra toys to keep her happy,”

“Toys?”  
“Yeah, some stuffy bunny and something she likes to chew on. She has that new blue dress too, I thought you would have known since you were there.”  
“Daryl must have picked them up for her...” he smiled sadly, a fondness in his heart that was tinted with heartbreak knowing that such a loving man, his loving man, was gone. “What am I going to do without him?”

“We're going to get him back and you're going to stop blaming yourself.”  
“I cant.”  
“You'll have too, Glenn woke up this morning and it won't be long until he tells everyone where Daryl is so we have to think up of a plan fast and we have to think of it now before everyone begins to asked what the hell we're going to do.” Carl said, “It won't be long before Carol will come up here in a panic demanding answers from you.”  
“I don't know how to tell her, ' _sorry but your best friend got taken on my watch and now we don't know where he is_ ', that's going to go down a treat isn't it?” Rick pushed his bowl of food away and turned back to his map, “This is going to hurt her.”  
“And this is already hurting you, I'm sorry about Carol, I love her I do but this is hard on you too,” Carl turned to his dad, “So, any leads yet on where he could be?”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever published Rickyl fanfiction, kudos and comments would be greatly appreciated so I know where to go on from here  
> all mistakes are my own lmao


End file.
